


Insurgency: Fall of an Empire

by jolliapplegirl



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chosen One, Crossing Parallels, Dimension Travel, G3 my little pony, Other, Prophecy, generation 3, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 20:32:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11974497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jolliapplegirl/pseuds/jolliapplegirl
Summary: Moonlight Sonata, a normal unicorn from Manehatten, wakes up in a land filled with strangely smiling ponies, strict rules and no memories of how she got there. The world she has entered is not the land of ponies she knows and loves, despite all the familiar names. But as times goes on, she soon realizes just how dangerous life is for a dark coated mare in this pink Utopia of 'perfection'.Rated MA due to swears, gore and cruelty.





	1. The begining

**Author's Note:**

> My fanfic from Fimfiction, just in case something happens for whatever reason.

_...positively pink... positively pink... pink...pink...pink..._

_Ugh! Shut up! I hate pink!_

I... I didn't know where I was. It was dark and misty and I'm pretty sure I could not feel my legs. I tried to move but... it was a weird feeling, just trust me. As I floated in this nothingness, I tried to think about what this dream could mean. And surely it was a dream, since reality rarely had this loopy feel to it. Except that one time Burn Out gave me those 'special' herbs to try out. Now that was a ride! But I don't think ate anything weird, so I'm pretty sure this was a dream. I'm pretty sure that I had read somewhere that dreams had meanings. Some subconscious desire unfulfilled or a deep rooted anxiety.

This time however, I couldn't see any meaning. I was lucid dreaming it seemed, since I was aware that this was a dream but I couldn't change anything that was happening. No conga lines of sexy stallions or hammocks made of red licorice were showing up. How disappointing. Taking in a breath, I tasted stars. I know how weird that sounded but I swear that's what happened. I felt the heat and taste of stars travel down my throat. What do stars taste and feel like? Um...like stars? Look, I don't know what you want from me. I'm in a dream, floating in misty darkness and eating stars like candy and you want to know what they taste like?! Priorities, folks.

For example, my priority right now is myself, because those stars were trying to burn a hole through my stomach. I screamed, the heat forcing me to my knees. As I stared at the ground, I could see ripples beneath me. The ripples splashing about until the droplets detached from the surface and dropped back as flowers. I looked around and soon found myself in a field of flowers. They were beautiful, row after row of reds, blues and violets. Weirdly enough, I still couldn't see a sky. All I could see above me was pitch black darkness.

My heart raced as I stared up at the darkness, my heart thudding in my chest. It was like I was staring up at some greater being, a malevolent god hiding itself from me. Scared, I turned my gaze back to the surface, taking comfort in their beauty.

I leaned forward to take a whiff, but as I drew closer, white dots formed in my vision. I tried to blink them away, but they swiftly blinded me, taking with it the beautiful flowers and that foreboding darkness.

******

Soon, my senses returned to me and I could finally feel my body. It was little by little, starting from my rear hooves. I wiggled my hind leg, feeling the cool brush of grass beneath me. A gentle breeze brushed over my flanks just as I regained feeling there. I thumped my tail, trying to get myself to move just a bit. I let out a breath as that wind brushed over my ears. I sucked in a breath, taking in... something. It wasn't air but it felt so nice. Like it is a familiar taste from long ago. Breathing in again, I rolled onto my back, squirming in place. Warmth spread over my stomach, making me smile to myself. At least I think I did. I still couldn't feel my face completely.

I inhaled, loving the feeling of cool air and whatever that nice thing was into my lungs. It was the sweet taste of moisture and... something delicious. It was weird though. I never woke up to nice smells. Manehatten was a dirty and was filled with the smell of putrid garbage and Celestia knows what else. Heck, I don't even know what horrors were buried in my apartment at that very second. Yawning, I instinctively reached over to hit my alarm clock only to find... nothing. I frowned but I just figured I must have knocked it over. I tried to open my eyes but the world seemed to be have just caught up with me. All of a sudden, the silence of the world ended as sounds seemed to explode in my ears. Wind rustling in the leaves, water rushing over rocks and sounds of wildlife. But the most prominent noise was sounds of voices shouting. It was faint enough that I couldn't tell what was being said but the tones were harsh.

"Mom?" I mumbled, though my voice sounded miles away. The voices continued, still sounding distant and angry. Ugh, was mom yelling at Heavy Metal again? Damn it, I was too tired for this shit. My brother really needed to get his shit together. No wait, that wasn't right. He wasn't the problem child. Then it was probably the neighbors again. Groaning groggily, I shut my eyes tighter, hoping that the darkness would shield me from all the noise. Unfortunately, the noise only got louder as time past. What the hell were they yelling about? They were grown ponies, not children. They shouldn't be acting like this. I should do something. Like, I don't know, wake up and get them to stop but... Ugh! That was so much work! I'd rather just lay here and-

A loud sound exploded nearby, snapping my head up and my eyes open. Only to immediately shut them again. Damn it, the sun was bright! As I tried to blink the spots from my vision, I thought about what that could have been. It was... a new sound. Now quite an explosion but close. Like fireworks close to the ground. But why? I rolled onto my stomach, rubbing my eyes.

"Damn it! It's too damn early for this much noise." I growled, waiting for the white spots to disappear from my vision. "Those stupid college kids are going to hear from the landlord again if they don't stop with the weird stu-" Just then, I realized that I wasn't in my bedroom. In fact, I wasn't even in a city at all. Checking my surroundings, I frowned at all the trees and bushes around me. This was not my house... Really, I probably should have realized this sooner, now that I think about it. The grass, the sun on my stomach, the wind. All seem to be pretty clear signs of being outdoors. My excuse: I was super tired and slightly hung over I think. That's the only explanation for the dizziness I felt wash over me as I stumbled onto my hooves. I know that sounds dumb but really, can you blame me? I doubt I'd have noticed being on a runaway train, let alone being outside. Give me a break.

Stretching my legs, I found them to be a bit wobbly beneath me. It took me a minute to regain the ability to stand but soon I was standing like a proper mare. Cool. Mom would be so proud. Speaking of, I rubbed my head as I tried to think of how I'd gotten in a forest. Something told me my family had something to do with. Story of my life. They always caused trouble for me somehow. If it wasn't mom, it was Heavy. So why couldn't I remember what I had been doing before this? Every time I tried to think of it, my dizziness increased until I backed off and then... What had I been thinking about again? All of sudden, the sounds of distant shouts died down. Cocking a brow, I took a moment to take a look around.

As stated before, I was in a forest. Nothing new on that front. The interesting part was that I couldn't recognize any of the plants. They were... strange, to be honest. At least, I think they were. It was super dark from where I was standing. Even though it was clearly the middle of the afternoon, the forest was darker than any other I'd ever seen. The only light that illuminated the area was the sunlight breaking through the canopy. Otherwise, it was fairly dark and eerie. It most certainly wasn't the Everfree forest but the quiet stillness creeped me out. I took a breath and relaxed despite everything. That nice taste/smell was back.

Curious, I followed the scent, trying to find the source. The smell was everywhere, like the very air I breathed drew me in. I circled the edge of the clearing, trying to find something different. I wandered around, the clearing showing itself to be much larger than I had originally thought. I looked at the forest with apprehension. Should I try to find my way through there? The dark foreboding darkness didn't fill me with confidence. Grimacing, I turned back, trying to find myself a path.

As I searched, a sickly sweet smell, a different one from before, drew me closer to tree housed in the center of the clearing. There were no other plants around it, not even grass. The bark was dark and brittle as I pressed my hooves against it. Upon closer inspection, I could just barely see strands of colors beneath the bark. It called to me, the sight transfixing me for a moment. Smiling, I looked up to stare at the leaves. From there, the leaves seemed to take on the various colors of the sun shining through them. The tree rustled a bit, sending dozens of leaves falling toward me. It was like watching diamonds fall from the sky. Smiling at the sight, I started to giggle.

Actually, why was I giggling?

The sweet smell had intensified, making me want to sit and enjoy it all the more. I could just relax beneath this tree, watching the leaves fall until I fell asleep and then... then...

For just a moment, I forgot how lost and confused I was and stood there beneath the dark tree's rainbow leaves. My body felt weirdly buzzy and heavy. I wanted to sit so badly.Was I tired? No but... I wanted to stay there... just a bit longer. I'm not sure how long I had been standing there, staring up at the rainbow leaves before I heard a shout. It was distant at first, just barely being heard over my racing heart. What was the voice saying? Something weird, I think.

"Oi, dumbass, get from under there!" The voice shouted. Anger pulled me from mt admiration as I turned to shoot an insult back just as something slammed into me from the side. We rolled until we stumbled into some bushes near by. I fought with the attacker but whoever had tackled me was too small. Shit, I cursed in my head as I tried to buck them off. They was surprisingly strong despite their size.

Eventually, I found myself on my stomach, a dark shape pushing down on my muzzle. From this position, it is possible for me to buck them off my back. I mean, I could but the problem is, I'm weak as shit. I mean, I can't run a block let alone fight off this attacker. Damn my low stamina. Huffing through my nose, I glare at the hoof pressing down on my muzzle.

Wait? A hoof?

I must have spoken out loud because the pony on top of me pressed down harder. "Shut up, you idiot! Do you want to get caught?!" A female voice hissed from above me. I stayed quiet, curious as to what this mare was going on about.

My question was soon answered, however, as I heard the sound of galloping. They were fairly quiet despite it sounding like they're were a lot of them. They stopped in the middle of the clearing, keeping a safe distance from the tree in the center. The tree that now was devoid of leaves and looking a lot more menacing than it had a few minutes ago. Had it always look like that?

The stallions looked around, seeming to scout the area carefully. Three patrolled the area while three more stood nearby, talking.

"Well?" The tallest asked, scowling. The other two saluted.

"Sir, we think the rebel might have come through here." One stated, gesturing toward the tree. "Shouts were heard from this area and there are some tracks indicating that someone might have been caught in the PolySav Tree. That mutt was probably smart enough to escape before it took her." The tall Stallion nodded and left, wandering off the talk to the other stallions. In the mean time, the remaining two kept talking.

"Maybe if we're lucky, it caught her?" The other suggested, looking hopeful. The first subordinate scowled.

"Yeah, and then the Captain would kill us for not catching her." He deadpanned. "Great luck for us."

"Yeah but-"

"Look, we have a job to do and a set amount of time to do it, private." He scolded, stomping a hoof. "Her Divinity demands our service and we must provide so no wasting time hoping for an easy way out." He snapped, watching his subordinates salute and run off in different directions. Wow, he sure was a lot of fun. Like that newbie supervisor who took his job way too seriously. Still, I couldn't help but be curious. Who was this divinity they spoke of? And what rebel were they chasing? Before I could ponder this too deeply, their leader guy spoke again.

"Come on, we're losing daylight!" The tall Stallion shouted, rounding up the other soldiers to his side. The two stallions trotted over, soon disappearing from sight. After a moment of silence, I let out a muffled grunt of annoyance.

"Shush!" The mare above me scolded, waiting another minute. The mysterious mare and I waited until they were clear out of sight before I shook her off. I doubt I actually got her off myself. With her strength, she had probably just jumped off. Bitch.

I walked out the bushes, looking around for any remaining guards before exiting completely. I looked down at myself. I wasn't one to care about looks but even I couldn't help but flinch at the sight of me. I was covered head to hoof in dirt and leaves littered my tangled mane. Oh Celestia, was that a branch in there!? Ugh, I could just hear mom nagging me about it.

 _A proper mare should take pride in their appearance_ , nag nag nag-

The crack of a branch broke through my thoughts. Flinching at the sound, I spun around to look back at my attacker. And then down. She was a short little thing, almost half my size. A super small earth pony mare with a glare that could peel bark off a tree. I'd swear she was a foal if not for the cutie mark on her flank and the years evident in her eyes. I couldn't make out her mark due to the angle but really I was too focused on her looks. To be honest, she was kind of interesting to look at. She was brown everywhere. Her coat, her mane and even her eyes, everything was brown. It was like she was a pony painted in several shades of brown. I'd never seen a pony that was all one color before. It was actually very pretty in a way. Then she had to ruin it by talking.

"Who the shit are you?!" She demanded, stomping. As stated before, her glare was enough to almost make me give in. Almost.

"Huh?" Was my response. I was still pissed about the unwanted piggy back ride and the tackle but her question threw me.Okay, not the question itself. It made kind of sense. Sorta. No, what threw me was this mares audacity! No apology. No explanation? Just a straight up demand for her identity. If it wasn't me on the receiving end, I might have found the whole this amusing.

"I asked you who the hell you are." She clarified, sneering at me. "What? Are you deaf on top of being stupid?" She scoff. I clenched my teeth, pissed off even more. This little...

"Oi, how about you introduce yourself first before demanding my identity." I retorted, glaring down at her. "No, more importantly, how about you explain to me what just happened!? You tackle me, insult me and then expect me to meekly let you screw me over by treating me like I'm stupid? Fuck you." I growled, stomping my hoof. Her eyes widened a fraction and her ears did a weird kind of droopy thing. Her left ear fell as one would expect but the right one stopped mid way before following the other. I don't know why I noticed that actually. She took a step back but quickly recovered. I guess she wasn't used to others talking back to her. Interesting. I thought, watching her.

"Giving my name out would be too risky. Especially since I don't know who you are." She stated, glaring up at me with deep amber eyes that burned with annoyance. I rolled my eyes at her dramatics. "I know everypony in this area, citizen and guard. I even know some outsiders who somehow managed to find their way in but you?" Her eyes narrowed, suspicion burning in her gaze. "You? You are a new face. Not only that, but you walked straight up to a PolySav tree like a foal. As if you'd never even seen one before. So you can't be from around here. Hence my question. " She explained, talking like I was an idiot. I huffed.

"I don't know what you're talking about but one thing I can tell you, is this: If you won't introduce yourself then I won't either." I retorted coolly, rolling my eyes. This was getting old and I was no closer to figuring out where I was or why. Letting out a breath, I turned away, walking off cause I was done. Us citymares knew when to quit a conversation. Any further and I'd tear her mane out of her skull. Or at the very least, try to. My teeth were not going anywhere near her head and my magic was as weak as my body so...

"Huh?... H-hey, where are you going?!" She growled, cutting me off before I could escape. I cocked a brow at her. "I didn't dismiss you yet." She stated, staring up at me. She was surprisingly bossy for such a small mare. You'd think she'd be shy or something but no. She was a grade A bitch on wheels.

"Dismiss me?" I echoed, staring down at her coolly. "I ain't your subordinate nor am I your slave. I'm not even someone who you passed on the street and say hi to every morning. I am a pony you attacked, insulted and interrogated like a criminal before even stating your name. I'm not a doormat and I'm letting you push me around like this, you runt." I stated, pushing her aside. Strangely, she was very easy to push aside. She was strong despite her size. I started to walk past her before she called out again.

"Wait!" I turned back, gazing at the small earth pony. Her short cropped mane hiding half her face. She was pouting. No, more like grimacing. She really looked like a foal just then. "W-what about the guards? And the plants in the forest?" She said, looking around. "If you wander about like you were before, you'll get yourself killed. I saved you from that PolySav Tree." I stopped for a moment, weighing that info in my mind. She had saved me from what I could only assume was some type of predatory plant. The sweet scent to draw prey in and some kind of neuro-agent to weaken them. I'd read plenty of books on carnivorous plants though I don't recall any by the name of PolySav. For a moment I juggled with the idea of listening to the mare before she asked me a really strange question.

"More importantly...." She continued, looking strangely wary. "a-are you really a unicorn?"

I stared at her in shock, my previous thoughts lost as my mind tried to figure out what she'd just said. Was she serious? I looked away, trying to think of some other context I might have missed. Nope, couldn't think of one. Which meant she was serious. As such, I responded in the most eloquent and sagely of answers.

"Huh?" The mare growled, stomping her hoof.

"Do you respond to everyone like that? 'Huh'?" She mocked, scowling. "I swear, you filly's are always way too distracted by stupid things." She huffed, sounding so much like mom. And I was getting sick of it.

"You're the one asking me stupid shit like, 'am I really a unicorn'?" I retorted, shaking my head in annoyance. "What the hell else would I be? What, do you think my horn is fake?" I asked, pointing to my horn. Sure, I might not be the best at magic but that didn't make me any less a unicorn. "Should I prove I'm a mare too? That I'm a pony?!" Dear Celestia, I hate talking to folks like this. They always got under my skin like nothing else but this was worse. I was lost in a forest that was unfamiliar to me with no idea how I got here and how long I'd been out. This was not the kind of shit I wanted to deal with right now.

"I just-." She started but stopped all of a sudden, her ears springing up. Before I could even think of asking her what she was about to say, I felt something slam into my side again, knocking me off my hooves. Gasping, I watched as the brown mare stared down at me while I fell. Rolling, I tried to catch myself but I kept on tripping on something or other. I tried to scream but the breath was knocked out of me every time I hit the ground. Every other second, I would see the clear blue sky, only for it to be followed up by blurry images of grass, dirt and pain.

The good news was that I landed somewhere soft. The bad news was that it was mud.

The mud felt like water at first, embracing me like a good friend, but then as I tried to escape, it tried to suck me in. The mud was deep and thick, almost choking me as I struggled to regain my footing. Unfortunately, the thick mass not only blinded me but it seemed to be trying to suck me into it. My legs felt heavy as I tried to lift them so I could escape. Shit, was it quick sand? I tried to relax myself so as to not sink faster but my heart was pounding with panic and couldn't help but flail about. I gasped when my head reached the surface but the world was still dark from mud. I let out a pathetic yelp, hoping someone was nearby.

"Hey, what's that over there?!" A voice, female, called out. I tried to respond but my mouth was soon filled with muck. I blindly reached out, hoping I was noticeable. When nothing happened, I feared the voice had seen something other than me. I had to make them notice me. My mind screamed in panic. As I attempted to spit it out the muck, I felt hooves, two pairs of them, grab my forelegs. Relief had me relax in their hold, probably making it easier for them to drag me out. As soon as my hooves felt solid earth, I dragged myself onto it, curling up in a ball and shivering. Somepony patted me on the back as I coughed up whatever I had swallowed. A soothing voice comforting me as my heart be tried to return to normal. I couldn't hear them over my racing heart but the tone calmed me down much quicker than I could have by myself.

"I-I almost-" I stumbled, struggling to get a breath in between words. Another voice shushed me, running a hoof over my back soothingly.

"It's alright, Sweetheart." She cooed, wiping my face off. "Nothing happened and you are alright now. I've got you." She assured, relaxing me further. I let out a breath, finally letting the last of my shivers melt away.

"Do you think she's alright?" Another female voice asked, this one sounding young. Not a foal but definitely not a full grown mare. "She won't die, right, Doc?" There was a moment of silence before 'Doc' spoke out.

"She's breathing, so I'm pretty sure shes going to be fine." The soothing voice answered, as she seemed to stand up beside me and walk. The grass crunched under her as she walked. "I'm really glad you're alright." She said, addressing me now. Her voice was cool and relaxing. Like an ice pack on a fevered head. I laid back as she patted me on the back. "The wormwood mud spring usually kills those who fall in like that. You really must be more careful, young one." Still catching my breath, I turned toward the sound of her voice.

"I'll... keep that in mind next time I fall down a hill." I muttered, a bit snarkily. Not the most polite response but I couldn't not say it. On the other hoof... Sighing, I continued. "I mean... Thank you for saving me. Really, thank you." I panted, remaining on the ground. I was way too tired push my mane out of my eyes. But someone else did. When my mane was pushed back onto my head, I wiped my eyes and looked onto the faces of my saviors.

Bright green eyes. That's what I saw first. This pony stared straight into my soul. I jumped back. The pony before me was definitely young, probably no more than 14. Her coat was orange like a pumpkin and her mane was pale yellow. Her mane was short and curly, surrounding her happy face like flower petals. The Earth pony looked ready to jump with joy though seemed to restrain herself somehow.

"Hi!" She cried cheerfully, grinning like a child with a new toy. "My name is Petal Dancer! I'm the one who spotted you and I called Ms Breeze to help you out. I would have done it by myself but I'm not as strong as her and she said that I'd only mess things up if I-"

A light blue hoof reached over and covered Petal Dancer mouth, pushing her gently out of my line of vision. The mare spoke a mile a minute so I could barely understand her. Curious, I turned to the other mare beside me who sighed and shook her head at the younger pony. The older mare, possibly in her mid to late 40's, was light blue with a long white mane. Her eyes drooped in a strange way, making her look like she was always half awake. Bedroom eyes, I think folks called it but it looked strange on her. Her eyes were pale blue, which kind was kind of creepy. They made her look like she was either blind or dead. The pony I assumed was Ms Breeze turned to me with a motherly smile.

"I'm sorry. Young Petal is a bit... enthusiastic whenever we meet someone new. Though, that doesn't happen very often." The mare explained, patting the filly on the head. Petal Dancer rolled her eyes, pouting at being treated like a foal. "My name is Arctic Breeze. What is your name, young one?" She asked with sweet smile.

I stared at them, furrowing my brow at them. These two seemed nice. Petal was a bit annoyingly talkative but that wasn't entirely bad and Arctic seemed to hold her own. They didn't look like bad ponies. Then again, neither had the last mare I'd met, though she attacked me first and these two had saved me.Then again, shorty had also saved me. Twice apparently... After some deliberation, I decided to trust them, but warily. They haven't done anything to me yet. If and when they do, I'll deal with it then.

"Sonata. Moonlight Sonata." I replied, lifting my head off the ground. They both nodded, though they shared a confused look at my name. Perhaps they had never heard a name like that. Fair enough. Few ponies were given the name of actual songs as far as I could tell. "Quick question, do you know where am I? I don't know how I got here and that bothers me a lot but I'm a bit more concerned with where-" I was interrupted by Arctic hold up a hoof for me to stop. Her ear twitched as she seemed to be listening out for something. I listened out too but I didn't catch anything new. Then again, I don't know this place. The older mare suddenly scowled.

"Petal!" She called out, turning to the young mare wandering about. She had several plants in her mouth. "Finish collecting the herbs and pack up. We're leaving. Now." The orange mare saluted, muttering something that sounded like 'yes, ma'm' just before dropping the plant's in her saddlebags. Arctic turned back to me, holding out a hoof. I took it, cocking a brow.

"Uh, is something wrong?" I asked, letting her help me up. I rubbed at my coat, but the mud stuck to my coat like paint. It felt disgustingly sticky whenever I moved. Moreover, the sludge was greenish grey rather than brown. I didn't know if that worried me or relieved me more.

Petal dancer raced over to us, her saddlebags filled with what I assumed was herbs. "We're all set, Doc." She reported, grinning happily. "The Jumping Beans are the only thing we're missing but we can find them later." She stated, shrugging. Jumping beans? What the hay were jumping beans? I was about the ask but Arctic Breeze chose that moment to pull me onto my hooves. For an older mare, she was much stronger than she looked.

Or maybe I was just really light. That was a possibility too.

"Please don't concern yourself, Ms Sonata." Arctic stated, reaching up to pat my head but pulling away before making contact. It must have been a mess. I could feel the stickiness hit my scalp as my mane was piled up on my head. Even I didn't want to touch it. "It's just that it isn't safe to be in the woods like this."

Not safe? I thought back to the group of (guard?) ponies that were running around and that strange brown mare I'd met just minutes before. The one that pushed me off a cliff. Scowling, I stood up straight and started walking. Petal Dancer pranced over to my left while Arctic Breeze walked beside me on my right. I guess that they wanted to be there to catch me if I toppled over. That was nice.

We walked in silence for a while, which was boring as hell to be honest. Really, I wanted to talk about something but I couldn't think of anything. These two were strangers. Nice but considering the last pony I met, - the one who pushed of a fucking cliff! - I couldn't say much to these mares. I briefly thought about asking them where I was but decided against it for now. There was something else bothering me.

For some reason, my memory were spotty. Again, I tried to piece together my memories of before I woke up in the forest, yet every time I tried to, I felt a nagging pain in my head. As if something was punishing me for daring to try and remember. The only thing my mind could grasp on to were those two stupid words. Positively Pink.

Shuddering, I shook my head to clear it. I really hated that color. It was a stupid color and one my status as a mare should never have to be associated with. Yet there was something else to those words. Something that filled me with a kind of dread I was not used to feeling. It was all consuming, filling every corner of my soul with a choking kind of darkness. It reminded me of the feeling of staring into a void and fighting not to be consumed by it... But why? I pondered, staring at the ground. I was so caught up in my thoughts, I barely noticed what was happening around me.

"You're so mean, Ms Sonata!" Petal cried, shocking me out of my pondering. Blinking, I turned to see Petal Dance crying and wiping something off her face. Petal said nothing more, sitting out the ground and openly crying. Oh, shit what had happened?! Why was she crying? I turned to Arctic but she just shook her head, though she didn't look too concerned for some reason. "Y-you hate me, don't you?!"

"Wait, what?!"

"You do? I knew it!" She sobbed, falling to the ground. Tears ran down her face. "You must! You splattered wormwood mud on me. Now my mane and coat are all dirty!"

I looked her over. Other than a few little stains on her coat, she was the same as she was before. In fact, she was still covered head to toe in dirt from whatever the two of them had been doing before. I looked over at Arctic incredulously. Seriously? I mouthed, gesturing to the sobbing teen. Arctic shrugged and moved on, apparently used to this. I, however, wasn't. What the shit was I supposed to do? Leave her?

"U-um... I'm sorry?" I said, unsure as to why she was reacting like this. You'd think I had smacked her or something. "I don't hate you, okay?" Petal Dancer stared at me for a moment with those enormous green eyes, seemingly trying to find the truth in my own eyes. After a moment of staring, she beamed, apparently forgetting that she had been offended seconds before.

"Well, as long as you didn't mean to say you hated me." She sighed, looking relived. I hadn't even said I did. I said nothing! "I'd hate it if you hated me. I want you to like me since I like you." She said, blushing a bit as she hopped past me. But we don't even know each other that well. I thought just as I noticed her cutiemark. A party popper exploding multicolored confetti. _Ah, that explained it._ Party ponies were always weird.

Now that the disaster of my apparent and literal mudslinging was over, I felt that talking would be the best distraction. Might as well try. "So, do you guys know where we are? I know I'm in a forest but none of these trees look familiar." I had hoped my question was ambiguous enough to not warrant too much suspicion. I was wrong. Instead, this question got me perplexed expressions.

"This place is called Fair Valley." Arctic answered, looking around. I did too. The trees towered over us, making the path feel a lot less traveled than it was. The sun was still out but the canopy blocked out a lot of it. Still, it was kind of pretty as well, since they light that did show through looked fragmented and mysterious. If not for the fact I had no clue where I was, I could admire the place for it's atmosphere.

"But it's a very clearly forest." I pointed out, momentarily forgetting that I wasn't supposed to be showing my ignorance. I recovered with, "Not really that much of a valley, is it?" Petal snickered at this, stopping only when Arctic gave her a scolding look.

"Yes, but it used to be. But then, according to old mares tales, a fire broke out, razing it to the ashes. The ponies living here at the time had apparently decided to help the land recover, so they planted trees from various lands here. " She said, stopping to dig at the ground for a moment before turning back to me. "Perhaps the trees cross pollinated and made these... results." She explained, looking unconvinced. I was equally so.

"But you forgot to mention the reason for the fire, Ms Breeze." Petal added, grinning brightly.

"Reason?" I echoed, cocking an unseen brow.

"Petal, don't-" Petal continued without stopping to listen to what Arctic was about to say.

"It was because a monster set fire to the world." She explained cheerfully. Interesting tone to use, considering the subject but she seemed the type. "The monster ruled over the land for hundreds of years but our Divine Princess defeated him. He set the world on fire as revenge but the Princess-"

"Petal Dancer!" Arctic shouted, stunning the both of us. I stared at the older mare, worried about the cold look in her eyes. Letting out a breath, she stared at the ground and continued to walk. "Don't bore Moonlight with such silly tales. That monster never existed. It was just a very hot season. Droughts and all that. Don't confuse newcomers with such tales of fancy." She stated, not looking back.

The two of us, Petal dancer and I, stood there for a while, stunned. I didn't think I could get scared of any old mare except for my mom but her... She wasn't called Arctic Breeze for nothing.

"I'm sorry." Petal mumbled. I turned to see the poor teen looking dejected, like she'd disappointed somepony close. I wasn't t sure if she was apologizing to me or Arctic but I felt the need to ask.

"Why?" Petal looked around nervously.

"I'm not supposed to talk about the... monster." She explained, hanging her head. "I'm sorry. I was just so excited. It's rare to fine somepony who doesn't know but... Oh, I could have gotten us all in big trouble if somepony had heard... Never mind!" She shook her head rapidly and ran off to catch up with Arctic.

So there I was, alone once more. Should I continue to follow them? I really had to wonder if that was for the best. I really was curious about this monster but I doubted they'd tell me. For whatever reason, they didn't want to talk about it. Was it like the tale of Nightmare Moon? A mares tale that filled one with guilt? And if so, who was the guilty one?

Either way, I couldn't stick around here. The forest was no place for a nice pony like me. There were mini mares pushing ponies off cliffs (I knew it was just a hill but it felt like a cliff as I was falling), mysterious groups of ponies running about and the most important factor, it was an unknown. I didn't recognize anything about this forest but if it was anything like what I heard the Everfree was like, being alone was a terrible idea.

Running after them, I soon caught up with Arctic and Petal. I had apparently missed some kind of discussion, since Arctic stopped mid-sentence to look back at me. Petal looked sad, her eyes a bit red from hastily wiped tears while Arctic looked way sadly, like she was just as hurt as Petal. I wanted to ask but I realized that my questions had caused enough problems for today.

"I'm sorry about all that drama, Moonlight. It's just..." She didn't continue, her eyes darting toward one of the trees. Grimacing, she continued walking, her steps a bit more brisk than before. "We have to get moving." She ordered. Petal stared after Arctic before turning back to me.

"We should get going, Ms Sonata." She said, her voice not as cheerful as before. Still, she smiled, trying to reassure me I think. "It'll be easier to talk once you're all cleaned up." I nodded, following behind them. The atmosphere was a lot more tense than before. Arctic walked ahead of us and Petal lurked behind the older mare, hanging her head. The awkward silence was deafening, especially since the forest was not one for comforting noises. I couldn't identify half the sounds I heard. The only consistent sound was the sound of our hooves and the crackles from me. The mud was now dry and flaking off, leaving behind a dusty residue. It was gross. I really hoped it wouldn't take too long to get to town.

*****

A hour later, we arrived at the outskirts of the forest. I was exhausted, panting as if I'd ran here. After about five or so minutes of walking, I was sweating and gasping for air. This forced Petal and Arctic to slow down for me. Clearly, they were concerned but didn't stop them from teasing me about it. All the way to town.

"I can't wait to tell my friends about this. A mare who walks for five minutes collapses with exhaustion" Petal laughed, on the floor banging a hoof on the floor. "I mean, seriously? What kind of life have you lived where you don't walk even that much?

"Now now, Petal, that is no way to talk to your elders." She gently scolded, snickering behind her hoof. "Some ponies are just not as... athletic as you or I." Her voice caught at the last part, referencing the fact that she had to carry me up a small incline when my legs could no longer carry me.

So there I stood between them, scowling fiercely. So I wasn't that athletic. So what!? Not everyone could be as strong as Arctic. I pointed this out to them, to which Arctic replied with "While that may be true, I would hope somepony half my age would be able to walk up a hill without collapsing into a heap." Other ponies could be pricks. I thanked my lucky stars that the mud made my blush of embarrassment invisible to them. Perhaps my mud bath did have some perks.

The two walked ahead, laughing at my expense. Apparently, this aspect of my being was so hilarious, they could talk about it for quite some time. Despite the slight indignation over being laughed at, I couldn't help but smile. At the very least, they had cheered up. Arctic was smiling sweetly as Petal was bounced over toward the welcome sign.

"Welcome to Ponyville." I read under my breath at the same time as Petal exclaimed the same words. She looked ecstatic to be back. Arctic looked serene, like she could care less. I was confused. Cause I was pretty sure Ponyville didn't have a welcome sign. Nor did it look like this. The houses were designed differently, I think and...

"Ms Sonata?! Are you coming or what?!" Petal Dancer called out, some distance from me. Wow, she could hop really far. Or perhaps I had just stopped walking when I saw the town. The latter made more sense.

"Did you get tired again, Moonlight?" Arctic teased, smiling. "Do you want me to carry you over?" She offered, gesturing to a small rock in front of me. "I see that rock in front of you and I don't want you to overexert yourself, deary!" I scowled and stuck my tongue out at her. I know, very mature but damn it! I wasn't that weak! I did, however, walk around the rock, since I could trip on it. Definitely not because she said I should.

The two mares shared a jovial look and walked ahead into town. I jumped as they walked out of sight. Shit, they can't leave me out here alone!

"Hey!? Wait up!" I called out, awkwardly running after them. Just as my front hooves hit the pavement, a chill ran through me. As if someone was watching me. Skidding to a stop, I looked around but I couldn't find the source. The forest looked so foreboding, even after leaving its depths. Like it had been wanting to capture me and I had only just managed to escape from its grasp. The darkness loomed, and while I couldn't see anyone, I knew I was being watched, so I stared back, my heart racing.

Which of us would give in first? Me or it?

Apparently me, since Arctic's calls for me distracted me enough to look away. Reassuring her, I turned back to the forest but the moment was over. While the darkness remained, the eyes that had been watching me had left. Still an unknown.

Stomping with frustration, I pushed my mane back again, even though the mud had solidified it to my head. "Tsk, I hate unknowns." I grumbled, turning and walked toward the town. Just as I passed the Welcome to Ponyville sign, I could swear I heard the wind whisper back.

_I hate you too._


	2. Ponyville

When I was just a little filly, my pa would take us across Equestria with him for his job. He was fun like that. Anyway, he would always tuck us in as he told stories about him as a young stallion. When he fell in love with mom, how fun it was to fly and even weird stories like how his life in Ponyville was so adventurous, he might as well be in a action novel. Papa told us once that he had met mom when he was a foal in Ponyville back when Princess Twilight lived there, sometime before her castle apparently appeared out of nowhere (he never really explained how that worked but apparently, it just did). As the romantic he was, Papa would often take me and my siblings to Ponyville (much to the dismay of his bosses, I heard) to retell the tale of meeting the 'lovely' Smooth Jazz in the humble town. It was because of these frequent visits that I knew something was off.

Ponyville was different.

That was the first thought I had as I strolled through the streets with Arctic and Petal. The buildings were designed differently and the roads were considerably wider. And pink for some reason. Weird, considering most stones used for road pavement weren't that color but there was more pressing matters. For one thing, I couldn't recognize a single store or pony anywhere. Where was that weird sofa place where I saw the nicest quill on sale? I kept waiting for something familiar to appear but nothing. Not a single one looked familiar. The buildings were strange as well. They were shaped not so much like houses but like toys. A windmill looking building with stars and stuff. A cupcake... There was even a building that looked like a bottle of whiskey, slightly tipped to the side as if somepony was about to drink it. What the hay?

Granted, I hadn't been here in at least a couple years, to see some festival with windys or something but that hadn't been that long ago. Surely a town couldn't change that much in such a short amount of time, right? Fear crept into my heart before I pushed it down. I was just over thinking it, that's all. Towns change all the time and maybe all those ponies I met before were elsewhere. Completely plausible.

"So what were you guys doing out there anyway?" I asked, tired of the silence and my thoughts. While I still had questions about the town, I had more questions I wanted answered. The changes in Ponyville could wait. Even though something within me insisted I continue trying to figure out where I was and why I was in the forest before. But I really didn't like where those thoughts might lead.

“Out where?” Arctic gave me a look, one a mother usually gave her foal when they were asking questions that they didn’t want to get into at that moment.

“That Fair Valley place.” I answered, grimacing at the name again. I still didn’t like that name. A forest should be called a forest, not a damn valley. You know what? I’ll think of a better name for it later, I decided. That name was stupid. I continued on. "That place doesn't seem to be all that safe."

"What makes you say that?" Arctic asked, looked over at me. Her eyes had a knowing glint to it. She was studying me. Was there something she expected from me? How interesting.

"Ya'll seemed to be in a bit... of a rush to leave." I replied, smiling back at her. She cocked a brow. Apparently, that was not the response she was expecting. "That and you did say as much before, remember?"

"Ah, yes well..." Arctic looked away but Petal picked up the conversation.

"That's because my mom will get all pissy if I don't get home soon." Petal dancer stated, butting in. "Mom wanted Ms Breeze to teach me how to be a florist, like her." She grumbled, scowling. She sounded very much like the average teen just then. "'Do this, Petal Dancer! Do that, Petal Dancer. You're name is Petal for a reason, you know.'" She mimicked, putting on a plastic smile.

I know what that was like. The constant nagging, the pressure. All piled up until you failed and then there's the disappointment. It wasn't pleasant for anyone. My own experience with such pressure probably wasn't as bad as hers though. Being a teacher, Mom was always a bit stricter than most parents. If fact, I'm pretty sure she was born scowling considering that I could not really remember a time she smiled. It was a shame since mom was such a pretty mare, even as old as she is now. The only time I recalled her smiling was when she was with papa and since he...

No! No thinking about Papa!

"I-I'm guessing you don't feel the same way?" I inferred, forcing a small smile. As we continued walking, the town’s ambient noise calmed my nerves a bit. It wasn't the loud bustle and noise of Manehatten but it was enough to drive my darker thoughts away. I looked around, letting my heart slow to a steady rhythm. This is why I never liked small towns. They were way too quiet for my taste. They refused to drown my thoughts.

Not noticing my change in mood, the teen stomped a hoof and glared ahead, as if the object of her rage was just before her. "Of course I don't!" She fumed. "I mean, I like hanging out with Ms Breeze cause she's cool and fun, despite being old and all." This earned her a glare from our companion, in which Petal just smiled sweetly. She continued as if nothing had been said. "I love learning about the plants and helping her but I don't want to be a florist.” She whined, looking close to tears. “That’s mom’s job. What I want-"

"To be a party pony, right?" I finished for her, smiling. She reminded me of a party pony I'd once met in Canterlot. While he wasn't as loud as what I’d heard most were like, his energy and optimism warmed the heart of anypony he met. Even if he was a bit annoying, he was also very amusing. She had that same energy about her. She, however, looked at me, utterly perplexed.

"Party pony?" She echoed, frowning. Arctic shared the expression.

"Is that an occupation where you come from?" Arctic asked, cocking a brow.

"Ya'll are kidding, right?" I asked, looking them both over. They blinked back. Were they serious? How could they not know what a party pony was? Sure, it wasn't a high paying job (or a paying job at all, now that I thought about it.) but it was a well known one. Party ponies were all over Equestria. "Haven't you guys ever had a pony throw a party for you? I mean, your cutiemark is a party popper, right?"

Petal looked back at her flank, the small party popper gracing her coat, held such a meaning. She apparently didn't know what the mark had meant. I knew that feeling. Petal blushed again, digging at the ground. She looked like she wanted to say something but Arctic interrupted. "It doesn't matter. Petal Dancer will be a florist, just like her mother." She stated coldly. Her tone left no room for argument. I opened my mouth to protest but Petal just shook her head.

"She's right." She whispered, smiling sadly. "Mom's job was chosen for her. As will mine. She was just lucky enough that she actually liked the job.” Chosen for her? By who? And why force this poor mare to go into a job she clearly had no interest in? Maybe it was none of my business but no mother should force her daughter into her hoof steps. I opened my mouth to protest such a thing but Arctic cut me off before I could utter a word.

“Anyway, let’s get off this subject.” She insisted, smiling motherly. “I want to know more about you, Moonlight.” Did she now? Weird that she only chose to ask about me now that I was about to bring the previous subject back up. I didn’t buy that she wanted to know jack all about me but I realized I couldn't pursue the subject right then. Later then.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything!” Petal cried out, regaining her energy once more, grinning at me. “I’ve never met anypony from anyplace besides Ponyville. Sometimes we get the odd New Unicornian but you can’t be from there.”

“I see." I muttered, not understanding at all. New Uni-what? Was that some other country? No, wait! One question at a time, Moonlight. I'll just add it to the list. The long, ever expanding list. "And why can’t I be from this New Uniconica?”

“Unicornia!” Petal corrected, rolling her eyes much like a teen. “And you can’t be from New Unicornia. It’s a Unicorn only city and we earth ponies can’t go anywhere near that place.” She explained, as if this was common knowledge.

A Unicorn only city?! What in Equestria was this filly going on about? There was no cities like that. Was there? Moreover, why was she saying ‘we’ earth ponies. I wasn’t-

We had just past some store whose window was decorated with garish, overly decorated hats.I absently walked over to get a closer look and jumped at the sight of my own reflection. Oh, sweet Celestia, was that me!? I was colored puke green with an equally green mane. Said mane was pushed up and swirled about my head like soft serve ice cream. My horn was hidden from sight and without it, I really did look like an Earth pony.

Arctic stepped up beside me and patted me on the shoulder. At long last, the mud had dried enough that touching me wasn’t like pulling at Velcro. The downside, I didn’t look anything like myself. I had no idea how I should have felt about that.

Seeing the concern in my eyes, Arctic smiled at me and pushed me to keep walking. “Don’t worry, darling, we’ll get that stuff off you soon enough.” She assured, leading me through the street. At that moment, I noticed all the looks I was getting. Kind of rude, since they didn’t even turn away when our eyes met. Then again, I was currently puke green with a mane styled like soft serve so I was bound to catch a few eyes. Besides, I’d be clean soon.

“So…” I drawled, following the older mare. “How do you plan on getting this stuff off, anyway? This shit is kind of a hassle.”

“Language, young filly!” Arctic scolded, giving me a look. I gave the look right back. Right. Arctic, while kind of cool, was still older than me. I don’t get why ponies are so offended by cursing. Its completely normal and yet we act like there are foals watching us all the damn time. Still, Arctic had been nothing but kind to me. It would be rude to treat her like I would anyone else who told me to clean up my mouth.

“Sorry” I sighed, rolling my eyes. I could tell that she knew I wasn’t really sorry but she just shook her head at me, apparently accepting my feelings on the matter. See? Cool mare.

“Anyway,” she continued on, smiling indulgently as we continued walking. “I’ll have to stop by a friends home to gather the ingredients before we can get that stuff off of you.”

“And then we can finally see you and your cutiemark!” Petal burst out into a cheer, excited beyond measure that the thought.

“My cutiemark?” I looked back at my flank and as implied, my mark was covered. Usually, a pony would feel naked without their mark, being unable to show the world their special talent. But me? I felt nothing. I really had no connection to that mark. It meant nothing to me because it meant nothing. It never did... “It really isn’t that interesting.” I sighed, turning back to them with a weary expression.

“What are you saying!?” The orange filly gasped. “A cutiemark is everything. It tells the world who you are.”

I snorted at this, rolling my eyes in annoyance. That's what everyone said, isn't it? They always told me how meaningful a cutiemark was when I was a foal but I didn’t buy it. “Yeah, but mine doesn't.” I grumbled, getting a bit annoyed. I really didn’t like talking about this. “It has nothing to do with who I am or what I’m good at.”

“Who  **are** you then?” Arctic asked, looking honestly curious and confused. It was the only reason I didn’t just ignore her. “If your mark doesn’t define you, what does?”

“Huh?” This seemed to be my word of the day. How many times did this make? 5? Five ‘huh’s? I think that was about right. Shit, I had to keep my head straight or else ponies here might think I'm stupid or something. “Well, I do…” I answered, not sure as to what I was supposed to say to that. “I mean, there's a lot of things I’m good at and like to do but my mark isn’t in anyway connected to them.” I explained but they just stared at me, like I was some kind of foreign creature or something.

"Like?" Arctic pressed, staring me down. What was up with her? Why was she so anal about this?

"Like... reading and stuff." I answered, feeling a bit nervous now. There was a lot of things I liked but what could I say now? I did like reading. I loved it in fact. There was nothing more exciting than curling up with a good or even trashy book. From the encyclopedia of magical technology to the trashy romance between a 'normal' mare and a changeling prince, the world expanded and became ever larger though the written word. But few understood that about books. They never believed me and just thought I was lazy. I mean I was but that doesn't mean there isn't something deeper to reading than just that.

After a long minute of silence, Petal spoke. "You're weird, Ms Sonata." She said, shaking her head in that foalish kind of way, the way a foal would when realizing their parent couldn't understand their imaginary friend. I was used to this. My cutiemark, a full moon half hidden by two white clouds, always confused ponies. It confused me. It was a weird mark, to be honest. To this day, I still have no idea what it means. For a while, I actually thought it meant I could lift the moon like Princess Luna.  _Boy, was that a interesting weekend._  I thought, laughing at the memory.

 

*****

The conversation continued on in a fairly normal matter. I had to tell them my life story, which was dull but they seemed interested enough. It, at the very least, kept my mind off my surroundings for a little while. The town was painted in several shades of pinks, blues and every other color. The ponies were all working, smiles on their faces and sweat on their brows. The only weird part was, and I'm not some kind of unicorn supremacist or anything, but the town was filled entirely with earth ponies. I had been lead around the town for at least an hour and I had yet see a single unicorn or Pegasus around. In fact, the sky was clear of any Pegasi. Though we Manehattenites rarely think about the weather, to not see even one Pegasi was weird. Weirder still is the reaction I got when I asked about this.

"Unicorns?" Petal echoed, looking at me as I had just suggested that the moon was made of taffy or something. "Why would there be any unicorns in Ponyville?"

"Why not?" I retorted, curious.

"I can't imagine a unicorn wanting to come here." Arctic stated, shaking her head. "New Unicornia is a much nicer place than Ponyville."

"Ponyville isn't that bad!" Petal protested. She turned to me, a proud glint in her green eyes as she spoke. "We here in Ponyville have the important duty of serving our kingdom in the various ways you see around us, Ms Sonata." I looked around, only seeing the ponies milling about and buying stuff. I don't know what she was talking about but she clearly believed that something big was happening so I let her continue. "We, us measly earth ponies, have been blessed with a important role from our Divine Princess!" She cheered, smiling brighter than before. She looked like she had just seen her favorite friend. Pure joy. It scared me more than I think it should have.

Taking a step back, I opened my mouth to ask about the 'Divine Princess', although the last time I tried, I got a scolding look from Arctic. She apparently didn't want me asking about their ruler. That was around the time I started questioning where I actually was. Not to say I hadn't thought about this before but I was kind of hoping I was wrong to think of it. I wanted this to be Equestria. I wanted to be home. Because this town, this world, was unfamiliar in all things. I knew nothing about this world, not its rules, its customs or even its ruler. Well, I kind of did but it was really... woo woo and vague. According to Petal Dancer "the Divine Princess is the Divine Princess." What the fuck did that mean? Even Princess Celestia wasn't treated like this. I really, really wanted to know more.

But before I could voice my opinion, a sound rang out. It was loud, grating and legitimately scared me because the ground shook with the force of its wail. I fell to the ground, which didn't do anything to help with the pain in my head as it bounce against the pavement, but covering my ears did. I waited for it to end, wanting whoever turned it on to die in a fire just as another one rang out.

"Ah!" I cried, though my voice was drowned out by the noise. Just as I felt like tearing my ears off, I noticed something peculiar about the loud tone. It was hard to notice with it being so loud but, I could swear it sounded like it was trying to play a melody. Like a concert playing way too loud, the music hidden within could only barely be heard over the ringing in my ears.

I struggled to my feet, my ears just barely getting used to the volume as it droned on. Sweet Celestia, somepony end it already! It felt like somepony was trying to bash my head in with a spike! When I opened my eyes, the sight before me stunned me to the point I couldn't move. The townsponies, all of them within sight, were kneeling down, their heads raised to the sky as they chanted, they're words only barely matching the 'melody' of the tone.

"May the Divinity of our Princess guide all those without direction and lead them to peace." They chanted, closing their eyes and pressing their hooves together as they basked in the sun. Even Petal, as gitty as she appeared, remained in place as she chanted along with them. There was a weird moment of silence (Relatively) as everypony nearby seemed to be transfixed in that instant.

Everypony except Arctic Breeze. She alone stood beside me, staring at all the younger ponies with a kind of tired recognition. Like she'd seen this so many times and had just accepted it. We exchanged a look, me, with an expression of pure confusion and hers, the sad but accepting smile as she too raised her head to the sun and chanted alongside the ponies.

Backing away slowly, I kept my eyes on the chanting ponies, keeping them in sight as I moved away. I knew it was rude to leave the ponies who had so graciously helped me but fuck them, I was not going to stay around ponies like this. While I didn't know what was happening, my citymare instincts told me to bail. Especially when I saw the glares I got when some ponies noticed I wasn't chanting as well. Damn it, I didn't want to be here. I could feel the gazes of a few ponies not chanting, their stare drilling into me as I lowered my head.

As soon as I was out of sight of the streets, I turned tail and ran. I knew I couldn't run for long but if I ran long enough, maybe I'd escape this town. Something about the looks those ponies had, that blank empty smile they shared as they gazed skyward, sent chills down my spine. Then there were the glares from those who saw me not following them. I shuddered, not wanting to think about what would have happened had I stayed put. After all those years in the city, I knew that my instincts were not just for show.

Some time later, the tone finally died down, though my ears still rang. From what I could hear, the streets seemed to return to normal, the conversations from before continued and the mood seemed calm. Still, I ran. That weird moment of worship, the dead eyes that stared up at the sun, all of those things could not be ignored. I had never seen this kind of behavior before and honestly, it scared me to no end.

A minute later, I slowed down, panting and sweating a lot. I was not a athletic pony, if you hadn't already guessed. The good news was that I was at least some distance away from the streets. The bad news was, I had no clue where I was. The main streets were very different from the alleyways, in that there was a lot less light, colors and identifiable marks to distinguish one backstreet from another. The interesting thing was the discovery that this Ponyville was layered rather than being all flat. As I wandered about aimlessly, I found several staircases leading downward, webbing into lower levels that fed into even lower levels. I thought about walking down there but the sounds of... something coming from below kept me from giving into my curiosity.

Curiosity had never helped me all that much in life anyway.

There it was again! I thought, trying to pin down what memory had made that impression on me. It had taken me a little while to notice but my memory seemed to be a bit wonky. I had noticed it when I was telling my companions about myself. Every time I tried to tell them about myself, I could just barely feel some memory trying to form before I got a headache and had to back off. It was frustrating since it wasn't just the memories of the days before waking up here. Little things, I think, but I couldn't tell what was missing. The last thing I remember before today was leaving my job at the library with somepony, I think he was my friend, to go to Canterlot for... for something. What was I doing there? And why did it feel like I had taken something important from somepony?

The clatter of hooves coming toward me dragged me out of my thoughts of possible amnesia. Shit, had I been caught? I don't know if anypony would chase me but I wasn't going to risk it. Panicking, I ran down one flight of stone stairs. The stones were muddy, wet and covered in leaves, so my scrambling hooves soon slipped and set me flailing into the air. I tried to use my magic to catch myself but for some reason, nothing happened. I prepared myself for pain, knowing that falling down stone steps was never a painless experience.

"What the-!" I hit something hard but softer than stone. In a tangled mess of blurry visuals and clatter, the hard/soft thing and I rolled on the lower road and slid until we teetered on the edge of something. It was only for a second though, so there was no stopping our fall into the water. Untangling myself from my watermate, I struggled to get my head above the water before I drowned. Weird how this make twice that I've nearly drowned today. Luckily, the water wasn't all that deep, it barely came up to my chest, but scrambled to get out fast anyway. I was not going to get covered in anything else today.

Damn it! The waterway was much deeper than I had thought. Despite how shallow the water was, the sides were much higher. It must be their drainage system. I reached up to lift myself out but I couldn't reach. I was so close to the edge too. Ugh! Fuck. My. Life!!! Stomping my hoof, I looked around to see if there was some staircase or something but there was none. That was weird. There usually was some means of getting out of these kind of places, if for no other reason but for safety.

"Um..." I looked up to see a young stallion, probably not much older than Petal, staring down at me. "Are you okay?” The buck asked, his gravely voice a bit outputting. However, I was wet, stuck in a hole and annoyed, so I really didn't care too much. I was more concerned with how the hell he managed to get out?!

"Do I look okay?" I retorted, grumbling as I searched for a way out. I didn't see anyway out. Then how... "How do I get out of there?"

"The nearest exit is at least 10 miles from here." He stated, pointing in one direction.

"T-ten miles!?"

"Yeah, that's where the nearest water purifier is located. Duh." He explained. He looked down at me, sounding as if he expected me to know this already. "What? Are you new to Ponyville or something?"

"Yeah, I'm not from here and I don't want to be here any longer." I shouted up at him before grumbling the last part. I was getting really tired of all this. I had been in this world for, what? Two hours? And I had already been pushed down a hill, almost drowned in mud, led into some weird cult like town and now I'm stuck in a hole! This was a terrible day and I so wanted out.

"Wait a sec, you're... you're an outsider?!" The young stallion exclaimed, sounding a lot more excited. "Here, grab my hoof. Quickly!" Huh? He was helping now? Why? Wait, why am I asking? I wanted out and he was offering. No time to question good fortune. Reaching up, I grabbed his hoof, amazed that he was able to so easily lift me out. Seriously, first Arctic and now this buck. Was everyone in this town this strong? Next thing you know, Petal will be bench pressing me like I was a fucking flower.

As I tried to shake off what little water had clung to my mud cover hide, I got my first look at my rescuer. He, to be fair, looked weird. I couldn’t tell if he was smoke gray with white splotches or white with smoke gray splotches. Either way, he reminded me of a cow. At least his coat did. His mane was short, choppily cut and was black and purple. Green eyes stared into mine, the youth apparent in them. But he didn't look like a young stallion, at least body wise. He was slightly taller than me, his legs thick with muscles and while those eyes were young, they weren't as innocent as Petals, despite clearly being close in age. His eyes were that of someone who was tougher than they probably should be.

Wary, I kept him in sight as I spoke “Thank you. I appreciate the help.” I stated, looking around quickly. There was no one chasing me. Good. “I got a bit lost and-”

“Hi, there!” He suddenly greeted me, holding out a hoof as he smiled. His teeth were yellow as the sun and chipped but it wasn't a bad smile. Though I still made sure I avoided staring at them. “I'm Smoky. Smoky Blaze. A miner.”

At first, I was confused. Not by the name, but the last part. Miner? Like, dig underground like a diamond dog miner? Wasn't that dangerous for a stallion his age? Or anyponies age?! Mines were not a place a pony should be! Diamond dogs were much better suited for such conditions but then again, this wasn't Equestria.

"Moonlight Sonata." I replied, taking his hoof. I looked him over again. He looked the part at least, with his dark colored jumpsuit and scarred hooves. That and he sounded like a bone saw. A colt as young as him shouldn't sound so gruff. "So what do you mine for?" I asked, curious.

"A bunch of stuff." He replied with a toothy smile. Remember, Moonlight! No staring. He continued on, not noticing my focus on his flaws. "Coal," Oh, so he was white? "chalk," no, he was grey? "and gems!" This surprised me.

"Gems? Without a unicorn?" I assumed that since unicorns didn't live in this Ponyville, he mined with only earth ponies. Which must make things difficult since they didn't have gem finding spells or any diamond dogs to help. I mean, you can find gems without a unicorn but it was a lot easier with one.

"Unicorn? What would we need a unicorn for?" He asked, frowning at me. So he didn't know. Figures. I debated telling him about unicorns before he continued on. "What about you? What do you doing for a living?"

"Me?" I echoed.

"Yeah. You're an outsider but you do have a job, right?" He asked, looking at me like I was some kind of rare creature. How... distasteful. I didn't like him looking at me like that but pushed it away.

"I'm a librarian." I replied, taking a step back. "So I basically just sit around a read all day. Best job ever!" I grinned at the thought of my cozy chair, relaxing and soft as I let my mind drift into the words before my eyes. I had no particular preference when it came to genres, there was just something comforting being surrounded my books and being able to touch them. That and being allowed to seclude myself away from other ponies for hours on end.

I suddenly thought of a certain book, no different than any other around it but oh so special. I could swear it called to me, called me still. I reached out to it, my heart pounding louder than thunder, and the second my hoof touched it, I-

"You're a librarian?!" Smokey exclaimed, shocked. This drew me from my thoughts, leaving me blinking at him in confusion. What was that just now? A memory? Of what though? A book or myself...

"That's what I said." I replied absently, trying to catch the memory before it slipped away. It felt so much like a forgotten dream but of what? I knew it was real. I could feel the weight of that book on my back, the sound of those pages turning. I could almost picture the cover. What was it!?

"So you can read!?" He gasped, taking a step back. This, again, pulled me from my musing, except this time he kept my attention. That wasn't the response I was expecting. Usually, ponies were surprised about my job because I didn't look the part. No glasses, mane pulled back into a bun or old. In fact, most of my co-workers were older than me so I always stuck out among them. I understood this reasoning but Smokey just was surprised I could read. Which meant...

"You can't?" I asked, dread filling my gut as I stared at him in a new light. A young stallion, probably no older than 15, working in such a dangerous field to the point where his voice sounded like he gargled glass and apparently couldn't even read. This world was really making me want to bail even more.

"Of course not." He replied, rolling his eyes as if that was normal. "Most earth ponies don't get to learn stuff like that, especially a NPP like me. I guess a miner wouldn't need to know how to read to do his job, right?" He explained, smiling good naturedly. He seemed content with this but I had even more questions. What was a NPP? Why couldn't he know how to read as a miner? Why was he a miner? So many questions and more would not be answered as a sudden thought had apparently come to him. "Oh! Then I didn't even have to introduce myself!" He laughed, smiling again. He did that a lot. "You could have just read my name tag then." He stated pointing to his chest. On the front of his dark jumpsuit was a small strip of white with a name and a series of numbers beneath it.

It read:  **Cowhide, E83748-02.**

I looked up at him as he smiled at me. His name was Cowhide? It fit, considering his coat color but he really didn't know what his real name was? Then again, he said that most earth ponies couldn't read so of course he didn't know. But that begged the question.

"If you can't read, how do you know your name?" I asked, before I thought better of it. Perhaps his parents named him, dumbass. Then again, why name him one thing but label him something else?

"My friend told me." He answered, smiling fondly as he stared past me. "She told me my name was Smokey." Oh? A she? How interesting. A lover, perhaps? My inner reader asked, wanting to know more. Wait, no, focus, Moonlight. Escape now, prying later.

"By the way, do you know the way out of town?" I asked, stepping forward. "I'm kind of lost." Lost being a major understatement considering I had no clue where I was in any sense of the world, not just in regards of this stupid town.

"Oh, right, you aren't from here." He muttered, looking around. The alley was quiet but something about the silence seemed to put him on edge. "Lucky for you, I'm not too busy. As long as you don't require me to lead you to the main streets."

"No, I am not going back there!" I exclaimed, shuddering. "Those ponies are creepy as fuck!" He looked at me, shocked. Oh, goodness was he going to be a prude too? I hope not. I needed him to lead me around and I was not in the mood to censor myself. In fact, I wanted to curse like a sailor in the saltiest bar in Equestria with how annoyed I was. Then again, maybe he was just shocked by how emphatic about it. That was likely too.

"You should be careful, Ms Sonata." He warned, smiling gravely. "It would be bad for you if someone caught you speaking like that. It's not 'pretty'." Not pretty? What did that mean? And why warn me about cursing? "Anyway, I'll help you. I saw you walking with Petal and Nurse Breeze just now, so I don't think you're a bad outsider." Something about that statement made me think he thought I should be. Which added like five more questions to my ever growing list. Damn it, it was going to be a long day. I mean, it already was but not knowing what the fuck was going on made the sun seem like it was standing still. Either way, I had to think about the matter at hoof and go over what I had learned.

For one thing, Arctic was a nurse. That kind of explained the calming presence she seemed to elude. And Smokey seemed to know both Petal and Arctic. Makes sense considering they seem to live in the same town but something about the way he talked about those on the main road told me that he didn't associate with many ponies. But that was going to have to be questioned later, like everything else. For right now though, I had to get out of here.

"So how would I get out of here?" I asked, following behind him as he trotted forward. Even though every path looked the same, he navigated the twists and turns like it was obvious where to go. He seemed confident in where he was going, so I trusted him to lead me where I had asked. Not the smartest move considering such tactics had lead me here in the first place but what could I do? Wander aimlessly until I got myself killed or something? No way!

"Well, you'll have to leave by the south entrance." He stated, leading me under a small bridge. Above us, I could hear the ponies milling about, acting as if it was just a normal day. Which it probably was, considering how calm they were. Creepy bastards. Smokey continued on, ignoring them mostly. "If we go any other way, you'll be caught by the police and registered." Registered? Why did that seem like it was a bad thing? I mean, I get how being caught was bad. I most definitely didn't want to stay in this Ponyville much longer but why was being registered sound like it would be worse? Yet another question to add to the list. Great.

"Oh yeah, I noticed some stallions in the forest before." I mentioned absently, staring at the crudely painted murals decorating the walls. They were beautiful, using the stains that were already there to create an image of a dragon spitting fire onto a village. It was disturbing but beautiful. Very fitting for this town. "They seemed to be looking for something."

"They're in Fair Valley?" He turned to me, shocked. "I... I had heard they were still searching but I had no clue they were that close." He bit his lip, trying to think of something.

"What are they looking for?" I asked, wanting at least one question of mine to be answered today.

"A rebel or something, I think." He answered, absently shrugging. For some reason, I thought of that short mare I had met. "Not much is known about them but they are rebelling against the Divine Princess and that is something." Oh? Cool. I was kind of curious about this rebellion but something told me that Smokey wouldn't know anything more about them.

"I see." I echoed, trotting over after being left behind for a moment. These alleys were... pretty. The walls were painted in various colors and stuff and the weeds that grew were colorful and vibrant. Actually, now that I thought about it, I had yet to see anything in this Ponyville that wasn't pretty in some way or form. Even the garbage bags had flowers printed on them. While the alleyway walls before were plain, they weren't ugly in any sense.

The murals seemed to continue on as we walked, growing and shrinking as the tale displayed divided and wandered down other alleyway's. I'm not artist but I could appreciate the work and creativity of the image. The dragon from before had flown down the wall, over burning fields and through dark clouds until it landed on a castle atop a thunder cloud. What happened next, I couldn't tell since I had to follow Smokey, who was not amused by my curiosity.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, after the third time calling out to me as I tried to follow the dragon. I really wanted to follow it, its crudely drawn eyes seeming to stare down at me, burning me from within. It felt like it was calling me. Like that book....

"Sorry!" I called back, my eyes darting to the other walls as the mural seemed to deviate to images of flowers and sunshine. Boring. "These murals are really cool. I've never seen anything like them. Do you know who painted them?" I asked, following him more diligently as the path got wider.

Smokey shook his head, rolling his eyes. "No clue. They've always been here." He answered, looking up at them. Shivering as the dragon came back into view, he turned away and walked faster, seeming unsettled. I went after him. "All I know is that they creep me out. Especially at night..." Night? What was scary about them at night? The images probably couldn't be seen then so why the fear? Due to being so distracted by my own thoughts, I didn't notice the stallion halting until I bumped into him.

"Ow, what are you-" I didn't even get to finish my complaint because the buck pushed me down and covered my mouth. Panic filled me, the realization that I was alone with a strange stallion with no one who knew me save for the ponies I had ditched. I had just started to fight his grip when I heard a group of ponies galloping past the alley we resided in. I reached out to them, hoping they'd save me just before I realized that they were chasing somepony, a small brown filly with a white mane. What in the world was going on? Why were five grown ponies chasing a foal like that? I wished I could see how the chase ended but they soon passed us by, apparently running into the street since there was a lot of noise.

Smokey jumped off of me, opening his mouth to say something but I didn't pay attention to him. I had to know what had just happened. "What the hell was... Why..." I stammered, more scared than before. I wanted to run, from him, from Ponyville, from this weird messed up world but I couldn't. I needed to know what was happening. I couldn't just rush off like before.

The young stallion said nothing, looking past me where the noise started to drift further away. "We can't stay here." He said, turning away. "It isn't safe."

Again with the 'not safe' warning! Everywhere was apparently 'not safe'. The forest valley thing, the town, the ponies. What was safe? Where was safe?! I felt like screaming in frustration but held it in.  _Be calm, be cool, be awesome..._  I chanted in my head, the faint memory of Papa whispering this in my ear calming me down.

"Why isn't it safe?" I asked coolly, remaining where I had landed. Smokey let his head fall, clearly agitated but I didn't care. "I'm not moving until you explain what just happened."

"W-what? B-but don't you want to leave town?" He reasoned, his eyes darting behind him as if expecting those ponies to show up any second. "If we don't leave, they'll catch us!"

"Who? The police?" I demanded, standing my ground. I was so sick of not knowing! I needed to know something, anything, to fill this hole that had developed in my heart. I don't know if the answers I desired would fill it but I so wanted answers. Anything to calm my thundering heart.

Seeing the fear in my eyes, he turned away, probably fighting the urge to leave. Silence hung between us as he seemingly weighed his options. Honestly, he could have just left me behind. I would have. I was under no illusion that I was a nice pony. I could be a bitch. I was one. He, on the other hoof, wasn't. He was a nice pony. So I knew he'd give in.

He turned to me, opening his muzzle to speak just before the world exploded in smoke. Crying out in shock, i chocked on the pink smog as the sound of galloping hooves hitting the pavement just under the ringing in my ears. The more I coughed, the weaker I felt, the glittery, pink gas surrounded us. I looked around, calling out to Smokey though I couldn't really hear my own words. Then, I blacked out for a second.

When I opened my eyes, I was on the ground and the smoke had dissipated. It must not have been that long since I blacked out, cause the culprits were only just arriving. Fear filled me as I tried to move but found that my limbs were as rigid as stone. Realizing that moving was not going to happen, I listened.

"This another one?" One spoke, a stallion. Of the five we had seen before, only 3 were here. The one that spoke, a bright yellow earth pony, walked over to where Smokey lay. The poor buck was out cold, the limpness of his limbs evident as the guard nudged him. "Tch, lazy bum!" He growled, sneering down at the unconscious young stallion. Then, apparently because he didn't respond to his verbal jab, he kicked him.

"What was that?!" Another voice, again a stallion, asked, looking around. I must have let out some kind of sound because all of a sudden, I was the center of attention. The yellow buck stared into my eyes, confusion blatantly evident in them.

"Hey, Moss, did you use the right glitter bombs?" The yellow one asked, not taking his eyes off of me. I should have been concerned that a bomb had been used on me but the name! Glitter bomb!? Shit, I may be paralyzed and all but to be taken out by something called a glitter bomb was hilarious. I just wished the stallions around were as amused.

A hoof was pressed against my skull, the owner standing out of sight behind me. "Of course, I did!" A third voice insisted. His hoof pressed down harder, as if to emphasize his point. "It knocked out the mutt."

"So why is she still awake?" The yellow one demanded, looking really annoyed. I really wished my mouth worked just then, because I had a whole laundry list of words I could toss back at him. The hoof was lifted off my head as we glared at one another. Just you wait, you cocky bastard! When I can use my magic again I'll-

"She isn't." Moss stated plainly, just before something smashed against my skull and my vision went black.


End file.
